2000
#2,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,741
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.72
Uncommon Last name
Joy
A surname derived from the Middle English and Old French word "joie," meaning happiness, delight, or rejoicing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,951 Americans carry the last name Joy. That puts it at #2,532 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Joy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Joy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,488
Census rank
#2,532
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,910 bearers of the surname Joy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2532nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Joy, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Black (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Joy
The surname Joy has its origins in England, originating in the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "joie," which means "joy" or "delight." The name likely referred to someone with a joyful or cheerful disposition or personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Joy can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Joie" in the county of Berkshire. This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, the name Joy appeared in various records from different regions of England, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire (1230) and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire (1275). The name was also found in the form "Ioye" in the Calendarium Genealogicum, a historical record of English nobility from the 12th century.
In the 14th century, the surname Joy was associated with several notable individuals, such as John Joy, a merchant from Bristol who was mentioned in the town's records in 1312. Another early bearer of the name was William Joy, a landowner from Wiltshire, whose name appeared in the Feet of Fines for that county in 1349.
The 15th century saw the emergence of various spellings of the name, including "Joye," "Jaye," and "Jaye." One notable individual from this period was Richard Joye, a Protestant reformer and writer who lived from around 1495 to 1555. He was known for his English translations of various religious texts.
In the 16th century, the surname Joy was found in various parts of England, with concentrations in counties such as Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. One notable bearer of the name during this time was George Joy, a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1572.
Other notable individuals with the surname Joy include Samuel Joy (1619-1689), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of Boston, Massachusetts; Benjamin Joy (1766-1828), a British naval officer and explorer; and Alfred Harrison Joy (1836-1924), an American artist known for his landscape paintings.
While the surname Joy is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a long and rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, with its roots firmly planted in the English language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Joy
Among Census respondents with the surname Joy, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Black (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Joy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Joy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.9% · 10,138
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.9% · 1,517
- Black or African American8.3% · 1,161
- Two or more races3.7% · 520
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 502
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Joy
Joy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,413
+672 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 4.55
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#2,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,910
+497 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 4.65
Rank movement Up 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,607 | 12,741 | 4.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,684 | 13,413 | 4.55 | +672 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #2,532 | 13,910 | 4.65 | +497 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 152 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Joy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,684 | #2,532 | 5.7% |
| Count | 13,413 | 13,910 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.55 | 4.65 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Joy bearers went from 13,413 to 13,910 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,684 to #2,532.
FAQ
Joy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Joy?
Name Census estimates that about 15,951 living Americans carry the surname Joy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,488 residents.
How common is Joy?
Joy ranks #2,532 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,910 people with the surname Joy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,951), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Joy.
Has Joy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Joy went from 13,413 recorded bearers to 13,910. That is an increase of 497 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,684 to #2,532.
What does the Census say about the background of Joy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Joy, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%) and Black (8.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Joy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.9% (10,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Joy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.9%), Black (8.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Joy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Joy mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English and Old French word "joie," meaning happiness, delight, or rejoicing. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Joy (4.65 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Joy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.